The Sunday News
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
THE Hindoo community in Harare has mobilised 12 refrigerators among various other items which it has donated to health institutions countrywide for fighting the spread of coronavirus.
Incorporating the Muslim group, the Hindoo community has more than 6 000 members in the country, mostly in Harare and Bulawayo, with a few in other areas. The fridges and other items which include blankets, personal protective equipment, groceries and mealie-meal were donated to major hospitals and isolation centres countrywide. Mr Jay Gopal and his wife Mrs Shakuntala Gopal handed over a fridge to Victoria Falls isolation centre situated at Zimbabwe Aids Project (Zap) clinic last week.
The same community recently donated fans to the facility for use in the fight against Covid-19.
“We are honoured to hand over this fridge to the Victoria Falls isolation centre towards Covid-19 national cause. The Harare Hindoo community sincerely hopes that this will have an impact in the fight against Covid-19 and help the country achieve its goals of containing the virus,” said Mrs Gopal.
Receiving the donation, Zap representative Mr Martin Mhlanga said it would increase functional capacity of the facility.
“This is one of the many donations we have received whose aim is to make sure that when patients are brought here, they will be comfortable to be able to quickly recover. The fridge will be used to store medicines for those patients that will require its services,” he said.
Since last month, the Hindoo community has donated five tonnes of roller meal to Wilkins Hospital in Harare, grocery hampers to 450 vulnerable households, fans, 160 blankets, 100 by 10-litre and 20-litre empty buckets to various health facilities countrywide. Some of the hospitals that have benefited from fridges are St Anne’s, Parirenyatwa, Sally Mugabe, Chitungwiza Central, Wilkins and Beatrice Infectious Diseases hospitals in Harare.
On behalf of the Victoria Falls Covid-19 Taskforce, Mrs Gail Van Jaarsveldt said the isolation centre also received 250 face shields worth US$3 000 from Makery in the United States.
The isolation centre, with eight rooms and a capacity of 16 patients, has been equipped with a GeneXpert machine, a portable ventilator, portable X-ray, water ionizer, a hood and gas analysing machine. Some of the equipment was mobilised by the business community, Oak Foundation and Jafuta Foundation. – @ncubeleon
